The invention relates to a parking-brake mechanism for vehicles, in particular passenger cars, including a cable connection and a brake lever latchable to a cable tensioning element and to an installation method for such parking-brake mechanism.
Parking-brake mechanisms of the type mentioned above are disclosed in DE 43 02 250 A1. With regard to their resetting functions, the cable-tensioning element, which is in latchable lock-in connection to the actuating lever, is resiliently pre-tensioned in the actuating direction of the actuating lever, in the tensioning direction of the cable-control connection when the brake is actuated. Via this resilient pretensioning, cable slack is also avoided when the brake device is not actuated. As a result, during the installation of the parking-brake device in the vehicle, the pretensioning force acting on the cable control has to be overcome when the connection between the actuating device and the brake mechanism is installed. This makes the installation more difficult, particularly since the actuating device lies within the vehicle and the cable control extends outside the vehicle body to the respective brakes. As a result, work has to be carried out firstly in the vehicle and secondly under the vehicle, which increases the outlay for the installation.
Therefore, the known design includes a cable-tensioning element, which is resiliently loaded in the tensioning direction of the control cable. It is supported, in an installation position of the actuating device, which position is in front of an initial actuating position of the mounted brake device, in a displacement-restricted manner in the tensioning direction, so that for the installation that section of the cable control which originates from the cable-tensioning element is present in a slack and tension free manner in an excess length. This makes it possible to complete the control cable connection. When the latter is completed, the displacement-restricting stop member is then removed from its stop position. As a stop member which merely restricts displacement in the tensioning direction, a locking pin is provided which intercepts the pivoting path of the cable-tensioning element and restricts the latter in the actuating direction, which corresponds to the spring-pretensioning direction, but leaves it free in the opposite direction.
It is the object of the invention to provide a parking-brake device of the type mentioned above in such a manner that, along with a simple construction, improved installation conditions are achieved.